Nuclear spectroscopy systems have enjoyed significant improvements over the past few years due, in part, to a widespread trend away from older analog signal processing in favor of the newer digital pulse processing methods. Although this migration has enabled a wider scope of capability, it lacks the universality of the older analog methods and makes it difficult, if not altogether impossible, for different components of a spectroscopy system to interface. Unlike their older analog counterparts, digital processing components made by a first manufacturer are usually unable to interface with digital processing components made by a different manufacturer. This confines the user to a system having components from only one manufacturer, thereby restricting the generality of use for each component and preventing a full optimization of the system. Moreover, older analog legacy components integral to many systems are rendered obsolete when any part of the system is replaced with a digital interface, requiring most or all of the system to be replaced.
Particularly in academic situations, a spectroscopy system is often a collection of components that are new, old, and/or simply available given the constraints of legacy instrumentation and funding. Consequently, such incompatibility is indeed a serious limitation, often presenting financial barriers that are simply insurmountable. Clearly, a solution is needed.
The present disclosure addresses this issue by describing a universal adaptation system capable of bridging the communication gap between analog and digital components made by different manufacturers.